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OTTAWA—The federal Conservative party has yet to decide whether it will remain committed to the climate-change targets set out in the Paris Agreement, the Star has learned.

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer was expected to reveal the party’s climate change and environment policy last week, but delayed that announcement to potentially as late as June.

It remains an open question within the party whether or not the plan will commit a future Conservative government to the targets set out in the Paris Accord, an ambitious international agreement aimed at limiting global warming.

In a statement, Scheer’s office said the policy is in “its final stages” and that they will “always be open to new ideas” to fight climate change.

When asked if that policy would be based on a commitment to the Paris targets, Scheer’s office said only that their environmental plan will lower emissions.

“The Liberals’ carbon tax will not meet the targets set out in the Paris Agreement,” wrote Brock Harrison, Scheer’s director of communications, in response to the Star’s questions.

“Conservatives believe that climate change is a global problem requiring a global solution, as laid out in the Paris accord. We will present a real environmental plan that will lower emissions, unlike the Liberals and their carbon tax.”

Scheer’s office said the rollout of their environmental policy was not planned for April, only that it would be released by the end of the spring session of Parliament. But two Conservative sources said caucus was briefed on a climate change policy almost three weeks ago.

Talking points recently circulated to Conservative MPs directed them to give no definitive answer on whether or not a Conservative government would remain committed to the Paris Agreement, according to one source speaking on background.

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In an interview with The Canadian Press, Scheer said the plan would focus on “incentives for individuals” — a potential contrast with the Liberal government’s carbon-tax plans — and would recognize Canadian “leadership” in the clean energy sector.

For months, the Liberal government has repeatedly hammered Scheer and the Conservatives for failing to produce a plan, despite the opposition’s steady attacks on the Liberals’ environmental agenda.

“We are going to continue to work on tackling climate change with Canadians … and unfortunately Andrew Scheer has no plan,” McKenna told reporters.

McKenna noted it was a year ago today that Scheer, in an interview with CTV, said “of course” his party’s plan will meet the Paris targets. Scheer seemed to step back from that position in August, telling CBC that his plan will have “meaningful targets” but did not re-commit to the Paris targets under repeated questioning.

The Paris Agreement, the UN’s framework convention on climate change, was agreed to by 196 countries in December 2015. It commits signatories to work toward holding the increase in global temperatures to 2 C above pre-industrial levels.

In one of his first major votes after winning the Conservative leadership, Scheer voted in favour of keeping Canada committed to the accord “as it is in the best interest of all Canadians.” Only a single Conservative MP, Cheryl Gallant, voted against the motion.

That vote directly followed Donald Trump’s decision to renege on the agreement, making the U.S. the first and only country to leave the accord.

But there is some doubt that, even if the Liberal government’s current climate plans remain in place, Canada will be able to meet the ambitious targets set out in the agreement.

In a report released in December, the federal government projected that while existing measures would curb emissions by some 223 megatonnes by 2030, Canada would still fall 79 megatonnes short of the Paris targets.

It’s clear the environment generally — and the government’s carbon tax specifically — will be a key issue for both the Liberals and the Conservatives in this election year. Both sides believe the issue is a political winner for them.

The Liberals have attempted to lump Scheer and the federal Conservatives in with conservative premiers like Alberta’s Jason Kenney and Ontario’s Doug Ford, both of whom recently rose to power on an adamantly anti-carbon tax message — something that is easier to do while the federal party lacks a clear position.

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